


A Thief By Any Other Name

by evilqueenofgallifrey (MayFairy)



Series: The Adventures of Doctor!Regina and companion!Emma [6]
Category: Doctor Who, Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Aunty Doctor is a thing, Companion!Emma, Doctor!Regina, F/F, F/M, Regina and Robin are such a great brotp, Regina is besties with the Hood family and it's adorable, partially and in flashback though, time heist au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-18 15:28:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8166736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayFairy/pseuds/evilqueenofgallifrey
Summary: "Why is it that whenever I'm busy rescuing you, you've got a pretty blonde in tow? Why is it you can never stay out of trouble?"
   "Oh, this coming from you."  "I go looking for trouble. There's a difference." When the Doctor and Emma find themselves in a sticky situation, they are rescued by a man who calls himself Robin Hood even though it's the fifty first century and his arrows are higher tech than Emma's phone. It turns out, he and the Doctor go way back. Like, 'became close friends with him and his wife by robbing a bank together' way back.(OUAT characters in the DW universe. No DW knowledge needed.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to do them meeting Tink first, but this muse hit me harder because Doctor!Regina with this Hood family is just too cute.

"Why did _this_ have to be the special cargo?"

"To be fair, they totally tried to warn the guy. Though maybe the next time the crew are going to transport a killer robot, they should lock it up better so pirates can't let it out."

"At least the crew got away."

The Doctor and Emma glance at the floor of the cargo hold, which is littered with the bodies of the pirates who had tried to escape the deadly bounty they had tried to collect.

"So, what's this thing called, exactly?"

"Raston Warrior Robot. Most perfect killing machine in the universe. Faster than anything and hunts by detecting movement-"

"Which is why we're standing completely still. I got _that_ part."

They had, as per usual, arrived on the cargo ship purely by accident. In the middle of the usual round of questions mostly consisting of 'what are you doing here?', the ship had been boarded by space pirates, who had insisted on opening up the cargo labelled 'extremely dangerous, do not open' despite the crew's many pleas.

The crew, thankfully, had been able to head for the escape pods while the robot took care of the pirates. Stuck in the middle of the fray, the Doctor had told Emma to not move a muscle. It had kept them safe, but meant standing there with their eyes shut as they heard the pirates die around them.

Unsurprisingly, at this point Emma's stomach isn't feeling too good.

"We can't just stand here forever," she says to the Doctor, whose jaw she can see tense out of the corner of her vision.

"If we move, we're dead."

"But it's not going anywhere. My muscles are starting to cramp."

"That's because your biology is inferior and ridiculous."

"Oh, seriously? You want to do this now?"

"It's not like we've got anything better to do."

"Look, your ladyship-"

Emma can't help jumping a mile when something whizzes through the gap between them and right into the center of the robot's skull. It goes rigid and falls over, and for a moment all the two women can do it stare.

"Why is it that whenever I'm busy rescuing you, you've got a pretty blonde in tow?"

The Doctor and Emma whirl around to see a man with a metallic bow standing in the cargo bay entrance. He's ruggedly handsome and grinning at them, and Emma is surprised to see the Doctor's face light up.

"Robin?" She exclaims.

"The one and only," he replies, and the Doctor runs to him and they hug each other fiercely, laughing. "Now, why is it you can never stay out of trouble?"

"Oh, this coming from _you_ ," the Doctor says, snorting.

He held up a finger. "I go _looking_ for trouble. There's a difference. Imagine my surprise when the ship I intended to rob has already been hit and I find a very familiar blue box outside the cargo hold and an unmistakable voice carrying out of the door."

"In that case, you're welcome for the heads up about the robot, or else it would have killed you in a second."

Robin laughs at her. "Oh, so _this_ is the gratitude I get for saving your life. I don't know what I expected."

"If it helps at all, _I'm_ pretty damn grateful," Emma says, and he looks at her like he'd briefly forgotten she was there. But he smiles widely and genuinely at her and strides forward to shake her hand.

"I'm so sorry, where are my manners? Robin Hood, at your service."

Emma can't help the laugh that escapes her but she stops it when she realises he isn't kidding. "Wait, seriously?"

Robin frowns and looks at the Doctor. "Funny, that's exactly what Miss Bell said."

Emma grins. "Yeah, well, Tink and I are from the same time and place - more or less - so that would make sense."

He returns the grin, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly and drawing Emma's eyes to a couple of dark squares near his right ear that are obscured by his hair. "Yes, well, I'm still not used to people being familiar with the name's origins."

"You chose it because you're a thief who likes to shoot arrows, _people are going to get it_ ," the Doctor says with exasperation, but there is unmistakable fondness in her eyes.

 _Who is this guy?_ Emma has to wonder. _An old boyfriend? A current boyfriend?_

"Do you need a ride?" The Doctor asks.

Robin smiles. "No, but I'd take your box over my garbage hired transport any day. Besides, Marian and Roland would love to see you. It's been too long since your last visit."

"I know," the Doctor says, with a sadness in her eyes that reminds Emma how little she still knows about her friend, "But I had my reasons. I wanted to be alone."

"I know," Robin says, giving her shoulder a supportive squeeze before looking back to Emma, "But it seems you're making progress." He winces. "Sorry, I just realised, I still haven't caught your name."

"Emma, Emma Swan," she tells him, and he shakes her hand for a second time and beams at her.

"Well, Emma Swan, I'm very impressed that you seem to have gotten past my dear friend's many reservations about taking on any new companions. How precisely did you do it?"

"Um, pickles?" She says, awkwardly.

He blinks at her with surprise before bursting into laughter. "Oh, this I _have_ to hear. But it'll have to wait until Marian can hear it too."

* * *

After taking Robin into the TARDIS ("You've redecorated! I'm not sure I like it.") and setting a new course, the trio step out into what looks like a medieval village except on a planet with a pale green sky. Which is frankly odd considering that Emma can tell Robin's arrows are more advanced than anything on 21st century Earth.

It isn't until they go inside his house that Emma understands. It might be old-fashioned in style, but it's filled with all the latest technology, only half of which she can recognise for its function.

There's a woman with dark skin and hair at the stove and her face lights up when she sees them. "Well, this is a-"

"Aunty Doctor!" A small boy zips around the dining table and collides with the Doctor's middle.

The Time Lady laughs and kneels down so she can give him a proper hug. "How's my best forest boy going?" She asks, with so much affection that it staggers Emma. She's never really taken any notice of how the Doctor is around children - but looking back, her memories tell her that the Doctor tends to be distant and tense in their presence. Why is this boy an exception?

"Really really good! It's my birthday soon, and Dad's going to get me my own bow!"

"That's wonderful!"

"Roland, go wash your hands, they're filthy," says the woman who Robin has meanwhile moved to embrace, erasing any of Emma's boyfriend related theories from her mind.

"Sorry, Doctor," Roland says before running off, and sure enough there are muddy fingerprints on the Doctor's dark trousers. To Emma's amazement, she pays them absolutely no mind and instead turns her attention to his mother.

"Marian," she says, and the two brunettes embrace tightly. "I'm sorry I haven't been visiting."

"It's fine," Marian insists, "You know we understand. Now, who's this? I almost thought it was Tink, out of the corner of my eye. But of course, that would be ridiculous."

"Actually, we've made up," the Doctor tells her, smiling a little, "Which was...a nice surprise."

"So you guys know Tink, huh?" Emma asks. "Were you guys old companions too?"

They both laugh.

"Not quite," Robin says, a glint of mischief in his eye, "The Doctor meets _all sorts_ of people, you know. And it just so happens the robbing the most impregnable bank in the galaxy is a very effective bonding experience."

Emma's eyebrows shoot up and she looks at the Doctor who has the decency to look mildly embarrassed. "You robbed a bank? Okay, you have to tell me this story."

So lunch is served, and they do just that.

* * *

_Regaining consciousness in a mysterious room with no idea how you got there is not the Doctor's idea of a good start to the day._

_That is a complete lie. She_ loves _mysteries. Plus, she knows how the day started. Tink had asked if they could visit San Francisco, and they had had brunch by the water and it had all in all been a wonderful morning. But upon returning to the TARDIS, the exterior phone had started ringing._

" _That_ never _rings," Tink had said, frowning._

" _Exactly what I was thinking."_

_Picking up the phone and putting it to her ear is the last thing the Doctor remembers. Judging by the look of complete confusion on Tink's face from where she is sitting next to her, it seems she isn't alone._

" _Ah!" Tink yells, recoiling upon realising that her hand is on a pastel coloured worm the size of a burrito._

" _Urgh," the Doctor says, snatching her hand back from her own._

_Across from them, two strangers do exactly the same, looking similarly disturbed. But the woman can't do it before her face shifts, for just a moment, into an odd mimicry of the worm._

" _What just happened to your face?" Tink asks her._

_The woman doesn't answer, and instead looks scared. "What is that thing?"_

" _Memory worm, deletes your memories," the Doctor said dismissively. "Really not the most important thing to be worrying about right now._

" _How did I get here?" The other stranger asks, a man with a quiver of high tech arrows on his back and a bow in front of him on the table._

" _Same way all of us did, except we can't remember."_

_Recordings start playing, their own voices saying words they don't remember speaking. It doesn't bother the Doctor so much but she can see how much her companions find it eerie._

"I am the Doctor, a Time Lady from Gallifrey," _her voice says from a nearby speaker,_ "And I agree to this memory wipe of my own free will."

"I'm Tink Bell, human, from Earth. I agree to this memory wipe of my own free will. Doctor, do I really have to touch-"

"Yes, you do. Marian, you next."

"Marian, mutant human. I agree to this memory wipe of my own free will."

"My name is Robin Hood, augmented human, and I agree to this memory wipe of my own free will."

_There is a brief silence in which the Doctor and Tink's eyes shift to the male at the table - who has some computer chips attached to his head near his right ear - and look at him with enough incredulity to make him frown at them._

" _What?"_

" _Robin Hood? Seriously?" Tink asks._

" _What? I'm a thief, with a bow and arrow. What else was I going to call myself?"_

" _I've met the real Robin Hood, and trust me, he'd be thrilled that he's inspired others, so let's not linger on this completely pointless topic," the Doctor says, "Besides, she's called Marian, so clearly whoever's behind this has a sense of humour." It's perfect timing because that is when two screens pop up from the middle of the table so that they can all watch._

_An electronically manipulated voice speaks to them, telling them that their last memory is being contacted by an unknown agency, the owner of the voice, who calls themself the Architect._

"This is the Bank of Karabraxos, the most secure bank in the galaxy. A fortress for the super-rich. If you can afford your own star system, this is where you keep it. No one sets foot on the planet without protocols. All movement is monitored, all air consumption regulated. DNA is authenticated at every stage. Intruders will be incinerated. _"_

_The screen provides video recordings that provide proof of the Architect's words and Tink makes a face of disgust._

_"_ Each vault, buried deep in the earth, is accessed by a drop-slot at the planet's surface. It's atomically sealed, an unbreakable lock. The atoms have all been scrambled. Your presence on this planet is unauthorised. A team will have been despatched to terminate you _."_

" _Have I mentioned I love this plan?" Tink says sarcastically._

_Sure enough, that's when someone starts pounding on the door. "Bank security! Open up!"_

" _We need to go," the Doctor tells them._

_Marian nods. "There's another exit." The Architect is meanwhile telling them that they need to follow their instructions if they want to live, and that all the information they need is in the case. "What are you doing?"_

_Robin, the person she addressed the question to, grins. "Downloading." He's taken a chip from its holder on the side of his head and plugged it into the briefcase._

" _Right, augmented human," the Doctor says with approval, "Handy."_

_He grins at her. "I try, my lady."_

" _Doctor will do just fine," she sniffs._

_The download finishes and they make a break for it. Once they're a safe distance away and don't appear to be being followed, the Doctor gets them all to stop._

" _Okay, I need more information," she says, looking around at them all, "You, Robin Hood wannabe. Computer augmented human, yes? With a mainframe in your head?"_

" _Only for the general convenience," he says with a smile._

_Her eyes narrow. "You're lying. Prison barcode on your neck."_

_He sighs. "Alright. Hacker slash bank robber slash thief of virtually everything."_

_The Doctor smiles. "Good. Lucky for you, this is apparently the right day to be a bank robber." She turns to Marian. "You. Mutant human. What kind of mutant, what can you do?"_

_Marian reaches out her hand and the Doctor takes it. Before their eyes, Marian shifts to resemble the Doctor perfectly, right down to the rumpled shirt collar._

" _Woah," Tink breathes._

_They break the connection and the mimicry holds, only to drop a few moments later. "I touch living cells, I can replicate the owner," Marian explains._

" _You can copy clothes too?"_

" _I wear a hologram shell for that."_

" _This was in the case," the Doctor says, holding out a small container she had taken before they left, "Human DNA. I'm guessing from a customer. It's all you'd need for a disguise."_

" _So we're really going to rob this bank?" Tink asks with disbelief. "Isn't that a little bit insane?"_

" _We already agreed to it, Tink, we just don't remember."_

* * *

_With Marian pretending to be a Mister Porrima, it's easy enough for them to get to the bank's main courtyard. But there, unfortunately, they are also met with a display of what happens to trespassers when a different unauthorised person is caught._

_A large creature they call the Teller, lead out by the Bank's head of security, reads the guilt in the people around him before turning the guilty person's brain into soup._

_It's incredibly unpleasant to watch._

_They get on with the job, crossing to a deposit booth which is a small marble room with a screen opposite the door. Marian, as Porrima, breathes into a tube to verify DNA and once they are cleared they are told their valuables are getting sent up._

_When they are given another briefcase, the contents are...less than encouraging._

" _I know a bomb when I see one," Robin says, uneasily._

" _Really? Good for you," the Doctor replies, without taking her eyes off the device in question. It_ is _a bomb, of course. "Now do something useful, and get me a bank schematic."_

_Once they have the schematics, the way forward becomes pretty clear when they learn that its service corridors underneath them._

" _The Architect wants us to blow through the floor," the Doctor murmurs._

" _Wouldn't that….kill us?" Tink asks._

" _Not necessarily."_

" _That's not exactly reassuring," Marian says, frowning._

" _There has to be a plan, killing us would achieve nothing," the Doctor says, flapping her hand, "This is the only obvious way forward."_

" _No way," Marian tells her, scowling, "I'd rather take my chances out there, with that Teller thing."_

_The Doctor sighs. "Marian, look at me." She plants her hands on her shoulders. "What do you want, more than anything else?" Marian's expression softens a little, vulnerability flashing through her eyes. "Whatever it is, it's in this bank. You agreed to the most impossible bank heist in history, you must have had a reason, a good one. We all must have. Whatever you want more than anything else in the universe, picture it for me now and decide how badly you want it. All of you. That's why we're here."_

_There is a moment of silence before Marian just gives a brief nod._

" _I still don't understand why you're in charge," Robin says, crossing his arms. The Doctor is mildly impressed when she realises this is the first argument he's made, and it's not even against the bomb._

" _Let's be honest, it's the power suit," Tink tells him, "Question mark suspenders and all."_

_The Doctor shushes them, places the bomb on the floor, and activates it. They brace themselves for an explosion, but what happens is silent - a section of the floor disappears._

" _Dimensional shift bomb," the Doctor says, grinning. "Oh, whoever planned this was_ good _."_

_They're gone and the floor back in place by the time security arrives._

* * *

_As the Doctor had suspected, Robin can delete his memories, so he opens the next briefcase since guilt from knowing why they're there is what puts them in danger of the Teller and so the less they know the better (hence why the memory wipes were necessarily in the first place)._

_It's six identical devices that look like a mix between syringes and grenades._

" _What are they?"_

" _No idea. But all the same, everyone should take one. I'll take the spares."_

_Robin plugs himself into a nearby control panel to recharge, which is fine until some alarms start going off right after the Doctor says there's no immediate danger._

" _You need to not say things like that," he says to her, and she snorts._

" _Tink, Marian, can you go see what that alarm's about? We'll catch up." As they run off, she sits down near Robin._

" _So, the memory deletion. Is it something you've done much?"_

" _I don't remember," he says wryly, and she grins. After a moment, though, his face falls. "No, um, in all seriousness, I know I did a proper wipe a while back. I was in prison, being tortured for information. And, while I obviously can't be sure, I suppose I must have panicked. Deleted everybody close to me so I couldn't give them up."_

_The Doctor swallows. "I'm sorry. That's something I can...barely comprehend. There might be days where I wish I could forget all about some of the people I've lost, but...I could never actually do it. Those memories are all I have of them."_

" _I had to keep them safe," Robin says, "I...I must have loved them a lot. Whoever they were."_

_She puts a hand on his arm. "I'm sure you did."_

* * *

_They catch up the others, who haven't gotten very far._

" _I think you know what those things in the cases are, Doctor, I think you were lying when you said you said you didn't know," Marian says._

" _And why would you think that?"_

" _I've had a lot of faces. They're easy for me to read."_

" _Wish I was better at reading people," Tink says, "Or being able to look like anyone I wanted. I'd kill for that."_

" _And I'd kill to be rid of it," Marian snaps, making them all blink at her. "You think it's a gift? No one can touch me because they only see themselves. I'm completely alone."_

" _Why?" Robin asks, with concern._

_She looks at him with quiet dismay. "Could you trust someone who looked at you out of your own eyes?"_

" _Ah. Point taken."_

* * *

_After that, things go badly. Very badly. Marian is taken from them and Robin sacrifices himself to help them get away._ _But eventually Tink and the Doctor find themselves in front of the vault as the intercom warns of the incoming solar storm._

_The latter starts laughing._ " _I'm an idiot," she says._

 _Tink stares at her. "Come again? I did_ not _just hear that with my actual ears."_

" _This isn't just a bank heist, it's a time travel heist," the Doctor explains, unable to keep the grin off her face, "It's brilliant. The storm is the_ only _time the bank is vulnerable, it had to be timed exactly for us to end up right here, with the door opening. And naturally, this is the one time the TARDIS would struggle to get in, navigation through the solar disruption would have been impossible."_

_The vault opens. They find the things they came for. A neophyte circuit for Robin, a bit of tech capable of restoring every bit of deleted data. A gene suppressant for Marian that would stop her from changing into every person she touches._

_They turn a corner and run right into the Teller. Taken to the head of security, all seems lost until Marian and Robin come to their rescue, not as dead as they had thought. The devices from the third briefcase are teleports._

" _Clever," the Doctor says, "But I'm starting to hate this Architect person."_

" _Me too," Robin and Marian agree at the same time, and pause to smile at each other._

_They find a water and oxygen supply line that runs down to the private vault, which is where the payment for the Doctor and Tink lies based on the helpful list provided by one of the briefcases._

_When they get to the private vault, they find Madame Karabraxos herself waiting for them. The room is filled with more priceless artefacts that is possible to believe, and the Doctor sees Robin's eyes widen and fill with longing._

_Karabraxos, rather alarmingly, is identical to the Head of Security - apparently uses her own clones because she can trust no one else, but has no qualms about killing them when they fail her._

" _You don't get along with your own clone?" Robin asks, amazed._

" _Wait," the Doctor says, getting a brain wave, "That's - that's it. Marian, you asked us if we could trust someone who looked out at us through our own eyes. And I know one thing about the Architect." They look at her expectantly and she throws her hands up. "I hate them. They're overbearing, manipulative, and obviously thinks they're incredibly clever. I hate the Architect!"_

" _Are you going to be arriving at a point any time soon?" Tink asks her, eyebrow up._

" _Do you mind if I borrow some paper?" The Doctor doesn't wait for Karabraxos' answer and takes some anyway, scribbling down a series of numbers._

" _What are you doing?"_

" _Giving you my phone number," she says, smirking, and writes_ I am a time traveller _on the other side. "Call me sometime."_

_Around them, the bank's alarms go off. The storm is getting worse, and the Doctor knows the bank won't survive and suspects Karabraxos is realising this as well._

_She starts packing up, barely able to fit any of her valuables into her bag._

" _Call me, seriously," the Doctor shouts as she heads for a private lift._

" _You'll be dead."_

" _And you'll be old, I'm sure we'll get along fine," the Time Lady retorts._

" _Doctor, not to sound worried or anything but do we have a plan that doesn't involve dying in a solar storm?" Tink asks._

" _Of course," the Doctor says impatiently, "We have the teleports. But there's six of them. And we haven't found_ our _payment yet, the reason_ we _came. But I don't know what it is, because I can't remember. I need to get my memory back."_

_That's when the Teller arrives in the lift._

_It's stupid, and reckless, but that's much more her style than she ever cares to admit. She lets the creature read her guilt, even though it's agonising and the others look on in horror._

_But then she remembers. She's the Architect. The phone call was Karabraxos, old and dying and full of regret just like the Doctor had known she would be. She had asked for her help in one regret that could be fixed._

" _Do you see?" She asks the Teller, who has released her. "We had to wipe our memories because you would have known, and you were mentally linked to her so she would have too. But she's gone, you're free."_

_They cross to the safe, and the Teller gets it open. Inside is another creature, identical in almost every respect._

" _It only did what Karabraxos wanted to protect what it loved," the Doctor explains, smiling as Robin hurries to unchain the second creature. "What do you say we get these guys home?"_

_They drop the creatures off on a nice deserted planet where they can roam in peace without the mental traffic of the rest of the universe disturbing them._

* * *

_The Doctor buys her team of bank robbers some dinner and they sit in the TARDIS and eat the best Chinese take out in the galaxy and laugh as they swap stories from the bizarre lives they lead._

_Robin's restored his memories, remembered his best friends, the ones who are the rest of his inspiration for his chosen name, his band of Merry Men. Marian's gene suppressant will take longer to work but she's happy all the same._

" _You know, Robin seems to like you," Tink whispers to the Doctor, who chuckles and shakes her head._

" _Maybe, but it would never work out. Besides, I think he likes Marian more. Which is extremely fitting, under the circumstances."_

_Sure enough, Robin is telling some story to Marian, who is enraptured until something he says makes her laugh uproariously and he looks at her like he's ready to devote his entire life to making her do that again._

" _Ooh," Tink says, "Good point. Talk about a successful day."_

* * *

It's quite the story.

Emma takes a few moments to let it settle in once they finish telling it. "Huh," she says, "Nice one." Not the most intelligent answer, she knows, but exactly what _can_ one say to a story like that?

"Not the most conventional way to meet someone, but then oddly enough _all_ my best friends have been made through robberies," Robin laughs.

"It's my favourite story!" Roland tells them proudly.

"I bet it is," the Doctor says with a smile.

"I only have one question, and it's incredibly important," Emma says seriously, making the others share looks of confusion, "Did I hear something about _question mark suspenders_?"

The Doctor groans loudly. "They _had_ to mention that. It's not my fault, that regeneration of mine had odd taste in accessories."

"And very curly hair. I was jealous," Marian says, chuckling.

Emma frowns. "Wait, I'm confused. What's a regeneration?"

Robin and Marian exchange a look before lifting their eyebrows at the Doctor in perfect unison. The Time Lady crosses her arms and shuts her eyes with defeat.

"Something...I should probably tell you about," she says to Emma slowly, taking the seat next to her, "My species, we're a lot more long lived than you. Partly because we don't really age. But the other reason is because we, in a sense, have a way to cheat death. Regeneration." Her eyes are on her hands which are knotted in her lap. "It's painful. Every cell in our body is rewritten, the DNA totally scrambled into completely different combinations. We walk away a new person. Same memories, same core personality...but new body. New face. New preferences and mannerisms."

"Like reincarnation?" Emma asks, trying and failing to imagine what the Doctor is describing. "Wait, that's why Tink didn't recognise you!"

"Exactly. She and Robin and Marian knew me in one of my old bodies."

"We have pictures!" Roland exclaims, and jumps out of his chair to fetch a holographic photo album.

The picture he scrolls to is a group shot of Robin and Marian's wedding, and they look beautiful and blissfully in love. Emma smiles when it is handed to her, before her gaze drifts to the woman standing next to Marian and smiling. She looks completely different to the Doctor that Emma knows, and yet the tailored trousers and heeled boots paired with the question mark suspenders over a white blouse are so _Doctor_ that she is surprised by how easily she can accept this strange new information.

"Huh," Emma says, "She doesn't look a thing like you...but she's you, no question."

"Is the clothing such a giveaway?" The Doctor asks with amusement.

Emma lifts her head to meet her gaze and smiles. "A little, but it's also the eyes. They're exactly the same. I reckon even if you'd been wearing something normal, I'd have been able to pick that this was you."

 _I'd know you anywhere,_ she wants to say.

"Oh," the Doctor says, softly.

"You have pretty eyes," Roland agrees seriously as he looks at the Doctor, and she turns to look at him and visibly melt.

"Thank you, Roland."

"You're welcome," he says through a mouthful of bread, "Can you tell Henry I miss him, please?"

Emma has never witnessed the atmosphere in a room change so quickly. Robin and Marian flinch and the Doctor's face crumbles without a second's warning.

" _Roland!"_ Marian scolds, looking panicked, and the boy looks upset and immediately guilty.

"It's fine, Marian," the Doctor says, even though it obviously isn't. She composes herself a moment later, glancing at Emma self-consciously, but it's too late. Emma has seen. "Of course I will, Roland." She's forcing a smile even though she looks like she's about to cry.

Robin seems to have a lump in his throat, looking at the Doctor like he wants to take her into his arms and not let go of her for hours. Emma wonders if she's the only reason he's not doing exactly that.

The Doctor gets up and sniffs. "I think it's time Emma and I were going."

"Wait, no-"

"Thank you for lunch, I'll make sure to stop by again soon," she promises, already heading for the door, "Come along, Swan."

"It was great to meet you," Emma tells the family.

"Look after her, please," Marian says, and Robin and Roland nod.

"Always," Emma says sincerely.

She follows the Doctor out and they walk back to the TARDIS in silence. Once they're inside, the Doctor goes to the controls and doesn't so much as glance in Emma's direction.

"Who's Henry?" Emma asks even though she knows she shouldn't.

The Doctor turns on her with furious pain in her eyes. "Rule number three, Miss Swan. _Never_ mention that name, _ever_ again."

With that she strides out of the room. Emma is left with an itch to follow her and take her into her arms and tell her that whatever it is, it's going to be okay. Or to make her tell what had happened so Emma can help comfort her.

She knows neither of them would go well and so simply collapses into the armchair. Feeling useless is the one thing Emma can't stand, and yet here she is.

She wonders what Tink would do.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, angsty Henry subplot. Sorry. More on that later. Next time, we're going back to see what happened with Tink!


End file.
